


What They Don't Know

by orphan_account



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Complete, F/M, High School AU, i promise it works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-27
Updated: 2013-02-27
Packaged: 2017-12-03 19:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/701587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra and the Krew are students at a prestigious boarding school for benders, and they enter the school 'pro'-bending tournament. Unapologetic Borra, casual Masami. Completed 31 Oct 12, originally posted on ff.net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to siliad for help fact checking and some light editing/plot development assistance. Love you!

“Did you remember extra socks? What about a brush, please tell me you brought a brush, Korra, you know how unruly your hair gets,” her mother says.  
“Yes, Mom, I have plenty of socks. And you packed three combs, remember? Relax. I’ll be fine,” Korra replies patiently.  
“Well,” her father supplies, “you can always write us if you need anything. And we’ll be back for parent weekend in six weeks.” He pulls his daughter in for a hug and whispers, “We’ll miss you, Korra.”  
Her mother, still slightly in hysterics, starts crying as she steps forward to give her only daughter another hug goodbye. “Now remember, try to make some friends, and—“  
“Mom. Cut it out, you’re embarrassing me,” Korra grits through her teeth. With a deep sigh, Korra heaves her bags onto her shoulders and, tossing one last look over her shoulder at her parents, walks through the imposing bronze gates to Master Elias’s School for Young Benders.   
A handful of school officials gather the new students in a large foyer. Excited chatter buzzes through the hall as a sea of first formers eagerly meet their new classmates. Some of them seem to know each other already. Great, Korra scoffs to herself. Everyone already knows each other. This should be interesting.  
Korra knew most students at Elias grew up in Republic City, so of course they knew each other. They probably went to primary school together. Korra was an outsider, being from the South Pole and a scholarship student. No way could her parents ever dream of affording Elias without help, but fortunately, Katara had helped the strong young bender get a full-ride because of the strength of her bending.  
“Listen up, first years,” one of the school officials booms. She is a fierce looking, sturdy woman with her long hair pulled back in a loose bun. She wears a strange outfit, Korra thinks, but the green pin on her black coat suggests she’s an Earthbender. “In a few moments, we’ll get you moved into your new dorms, but first, a few rules.”  
A rumbling of groans and exasperation passes amongst the students, but a harsh look from this metal-clad woman is enough to silence them once more.  
“My name is Master Bei Fong. Some of you Earthbenders who demonstrate the strength will have the privilege of taking my metal bending class, but most of you will know me as your class dean. My job is to get you prepared to be real benders by being real people, first. I have a strict zero-tolerance policy on bullying and general misconduct -- including unauthorized duels—so think twice before you decide to break the rules.   
Now, we have a relatively small class this year, so when you hear your name, step forward and get your room assignment. Once you have your card, you can go ahead and move in. Dinner will be in the main hall at 7pm. Do not be late.”  
With that, Master Bei Fong turns sharply on her heel and nods to a diminutive young woman with mousy brown hair, who seems to be Bei Fong’s assistant. She clears her throat and begins, “Mariko Rook, and Rae-Lee Delona.”  
A brawny, obnoxious Firebender boy saunters forward and snatches the beige card from the assistant, and a slender boy next to Korra takes a shaky step towards the front, blood draining from his face.  
And the list goes on. A prissy-looking water bender with a daunting amount of luggage; a well-muscled Earth bender boy who seems to be friends with everyone—Korra hears that his name is Bolin—but for the most part, she isn’t paying much attention.  
Finally, Korra hears her name and she snaps back into focus. She is the only student left. “Oh, great,” she grumbles. “Now I don’t even have a roommate.”  
“Actually, your roommate will be a second form student; that class has an odd number, too. Her name is Tilly Keel. She’s already moved in, so you can meet her now. Here’s your card.” Master Bei Fong’s assistant hands Korra the card, gives a sympathetic smile, and leaves the now-empty foyer.  
With an eye roll, Korra hoists her bags up again, and after consulting the small map, she heads off towards her new home: Gyatso Hall.   
xXx  
When Korra finds her room, the door is propped open. One half of the room is already decorated lavishly, and the girl peeks out from behind a magazine and Korra nearly jumps.   
“Hi, I’m Tilly! You must be Korra.” Tilly greets Korra’s awkward stare with a warm smile, and holds out her hand. Korra shakes it tentatively, which makes Tilly giggle. “Need any help moving your things in?”  
“Uh, no. No thanks. But thanks for the offer. Nice to meet you, too,” Korra manages. Spirits, she thinks, this one’s upbeat. Korra throws her bags on the bed, and starts unpacking. She doesn’t have much, just some clothes, school books, and two drawings: one of her parents, and one of Naga. She gives her half of the room the once over, and deciding it will have to do, flops down on her bed. Tilly is reading her magazine again, but peers around the edge of a page to say gently, “Don’t get too comfortable. It’s nearly seven.”  
And just like that, the clock tower starts to ring, and Korra hears the corridor fill with students of all forms. She joins the flow of the river of people all the way down to the main dining hall. Korra hangs back, waiting to see where the other students to sit down, scoping out the best way to jump into her new social life. Someone brushes Korra’s arm. She turns to see it’s her roommate, Tilly.   
“Want to sit with me?” she smiles.   
“No, my friends are right over there,” Korra lies smoothly.  
“Okay, well I’ll see you later then,” Tilly returns, and glides off to sit next to a tall, quiet boy with black ruffled hair and the amber-colored eyes of a Firebender. The red scarf might be a clue, too.   
Korra spies the friendly looking boy from earlier, and decides this is her best shot. There’s even a seat right next to him still open. With a shake of her head, Korra taps him on the shoulder.  
“Hey, this seat taken?” He turns towards Korra and his face fills with an honest grin.   
“Now it is! Have a seat. Name’s Bolin,” he offers with a sincere tone, “what’s yours?”  
“Korra,” she responds, and can’t help but return his smile. He has gentle black curls, warm green eyes, and a slightly upturned nose that Korra can’t help but find adorable.   
“Great to meet you, Korra. So where are you from? You don’t look like you’re from the City,” Bolin prompts. “No offense!” he adds quickly.  
“No, no, none taken,” Korra replies. “I’m … well I’m from the South Pole.”  
“No kidding! That’s great. So you must be a Waterbender, right?”   
Korra hesitates. What if no one knew? What if I was just a normal teenager? “Yeah, Water Tribe. And uh, you must be an Earthbender? Y’know, because you’re wearing green …” Smooth, Korra. Real smooth.  
But Bolin chuckles lightly. “I sure am! So… you any good? My brother and I want to make a bending team, but all his friends are Firebenders like him, and Hasook said his parents didn’t want him taking time out of his studying to do a club sport.” Bolin rolls his eyes as he bites into a slice of bread dunked in soup broth.   
“A bending team? I mean, I’m a strong bender for sure, but I’m not sure what you mean,” Korra says nervously. She’s worried Bolin will think she’s just some country hick, not cool enough for his city ways.  
But Bolin is nothing but nice when he responds, “Oh, yeah, you probably don’t have bending teams with all Waterbenders! Basically, you get three benders, one of each element (there’s not enough Airbenders out there so just three), and you compete in a ring with your bending to see who comes out on top! After school, you can even go pro,” he says, almost dreamily.  
Korra laughs. “That sounds amazing,” she beams. “I’d love to team up!”   
“Well, you’ll, er, you’ll have to try out first. I have to make sure you’re the real deal,” he says with a wink. They make plans to meet up after dinner by the lake, and Korra will show him her bending. The rest of the meal, Bolin tells Korra all about bending and the city, and Korra finds herself relaxing. This is going to be a breeze, she thinks. As long as she just water bends, everything will be just fine.   
xXx  
After dinner, Korra heads out to the lake. Bolin is already there, playing with some clay discs. He lets them drop when he sees Korra.  
“Ready to show me what you’ve got?” he teases.   
“You better believe it,” she quips. Korra closes her eyes briefly and then nearly effortlessly bends a long whip up out of the lake. Bolin nods at the targets he’s set up, and she lets the whip fly out and cracks right at the end, slicing through the dummy.  
“Nice shot!” Bolin says, slapping her on the back. “That was pretty slick. What else you got?”  
Korra turns to the lake again, and this time draws up a large bubble which she almost cradles into her chest. Swiftly, she redirects the water at the next dummy, and the bubble becomes a wave as it crashes over its helpless victim. Not waiting for feedback, Korra draws more water, and a wall of water flies at the final dummy. Korra smirks, pleased with her work.   
“Need to see more?” she demands, a competitive edge creeping into her voice.   
“No, no, that was, well, that was amazing. I can see why you came to Elias. They only take the best,” Bolin responds. Then he adds in a low voice, “Or, y’know, the richest. I’m a scholarship student, so I prefer to think that they only take the best.”  
Korra’s fiercely determined features soften as she realizes what he’s said. She’s a little shocked that he’s volunteered this information so freely since she only met him a few hours ago, but she can feel the trust between them building. The trust that won’t be there if he ever finds out I’m the Avatar, Korra reminds herself, but she pushes that thought to the back of her mind. “Me too,” she responds evenly. “The South Pole isn’t exactly an economic wonderland.”  
The two compare their class schedules, not expecting any cross-over since they bend different elements, but are pleased to find out they have a study hall together. It’s gotten dark though, and Bolin reminds Korra of curfew. Giddily, the run back up to the school, turning it into a race. Bolin wins, but only just.  
xXx  
Korra wakes just before sunrise. Bleary eyed, she stretches and rolls out of bed. She almost calls out to Naga, but then remembers where she is. Her first class isn’t for hours, but if she’s going to be a normal student—one that bends only one element—she has to hide her exercises. And she really needs to practice her airbending.   
Korra gathers up her books so she doesn’t have to come back to the room before class, and the door clicks behind her as she sneaks out, hoping to not disturb a still slumbering Tilly. She decides the best cover she can get is down on the far side of the lake, where there is a small stand of trees. No one would be awake yet, anyway, but just in case, some cover was better than nothing.  
She drops her bag on the pine-needle covered ground with a light thud. Taking a deep breath, she smells the greenery, and the clean scent of the lake wafts by. Birds are chirping as more sunlight filters through the pines. Korra tries to relax, remembering what Tenzin showed her this past summer. She imagines dancing through the wind panels, turning in smooth, spiraling steps. She takes one more calming breath, and—  
Nothing. The slight wind that was beginning to whistle through the needles even died down, mocking her. Korra sighs, and tries again. She begins with the slow circles, and closes her eyes, imagining Tenzin’s bending. But he’s Aang’s son, of course he’s an amazing Airbender. Even his kids can bend better than me. I’m supposed to be the Avatar!   
Korra can feel her frustration growing, but instead of trying to calm down again, she lets herself get swept up by her emotions. She starts to tense, and her rage erupts from her fists in dangerous swirls of fire. She punches at nothing, streaks of flames leaping from her body until she is panting and out of breath.   
A twig snaps. Korra wheels around. The tall dark-haired boy who sat with Tilly last night clears his throat.


	2. Chapter 2

“An impressive display,” he says smoothly. “Might want to work on your control though.”  
“Oh, uh, yeah I got a little frustrated. I… I thought I was alone.” So much for just bending water.  
“Mako,” the boy hums, reaching out a hand. “Third form, Firebender.”  
Korra grasps his hand, blushing slightly, “Korra. Um, first form—“  
“Let me guess: Firebender?” He smirks. And that’s where Korra sees her out: Mako doesn’t know she can bend water. She’ll rarely see him anyway, so she’ll just make sure to not bend water around him, and her cover will still hold. Tilly was his friend, but she hadn’t told Tilly she was a water bender. The girl wasn’t stupid, though. She could probably tell. But until she figured out what her next move would be, she was going to continue to play the one element card.  
“How could you tell?” she jokes, and Mako shifts his weight. “Anyway, what are you doing up so early?” Most third year students didn’t have early morning classes.  
“I like to go for walks when it’s nice and calm like this in the morning. It helps me clear my head.”   
Neither knows whether to keep the conversation going or not, but luckily the clock tower calls out the hour, and Korra makes the excuse that she needs to grab breakfast before class, and darts off towards the school.  
xXx  
Korra is early to class as she slumps into a desk in the back. First up is Four Kingdoms History. Other students start to trickle in, all first formers, but Korra’s already lost in thought. Their instructor, Professor Benku, is a tall, kind looking Earthbender with small round glasses and long greying hair. He takes roll call, and Korra almost misses her name. The class consists mainly of addressing the syllabus, and when the hour finally ends, Korra is the first out the door.  
Her next class is Republic City Government. Two boring ones in a row, Korra frowns. When do we get to start bending?  
Korra’s schedule begins with three dull classroom courses on theory and history, and the afternoon is all about bending. Her Government teacher is a blue-robed man named Tarlok, who boasts that he actually serves on the city council and so knows everything about the government. Korra can see that this class will be torturously full of memorizing useless facts.  
Her last non-bending class is History and Politics of the Avatar. It was an elective, and Korra is now beginning to regret her decision: their instructor is none other than Master Lin Bei Fong. Should have taken that stupid healing class. Would have been an easy A. Master Bei Fong seems to think herself something of an authority, and spends the entire hour singing the praises of Avatar Aang… and the teacher’s own mother.   
Finally, it’s lunch time and Korra hurries into the great hall where she hopes Bolin is waiting. He doesn’t disappoint, and as soon as she walks in, he waves her over to his table. She grabs a tray-full of food and slouches into the chair across from Bolin.  
“Why do we have to take all these boring history classes, anyway?” Korra complained. “I hardly see how knowing our fine capital’s penal code is going to make me a better bender.”  
“Well,” Bolin mumbled through his food, “I guess they think it’ll make us responsible, informed citizens. That’s sort of what Republic City is all about, right?”  
Korra shrugs. She just wants to bend. “S’pose you’re right. Anyway, bending the afternoon away should be fun, right?”  
Bolin shoots her a sympathetic look. “My older brother says don’t expect too much the first day. They do individual skill evaluations to place you into one of three levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced. That way, the novice benders don’t drag you down the rest of the year. The real bending will start once we’re all sorted out.”  
This suits Korra just fine; she’ll get to scope out her competition, and she’s glad to see an opportunity for advanced placement where she can showcase her skills. The two finish their rice and vegetables, and head off to homeroom, where they discuss more pro-bending strategies.   
xXx  
Korra didn’t need more water bending practice. She didn’t even need fire and earth bending practice, in her opinion. She needed time to herself to learn airbending so that when she graduated from this silly school, she could take up her duties as the Avatar.  
But she couldn’t just go off and airbend, that would ruin her cover for certain, and floating between the classes would be no better. She decides she’ll just have to show everyone up at water bending.  
A fine-boned woman well into her sixties floats into the gymnasium where a huddle of blue-clad teens waits for instructions. The instructor has a gravelly voice, and she rasps to the students, “My name is Master Yumi, and I’ll be assessing your water bending abilities today. Form a line and let’s get started.”  
Those eager to prove themselves scrambled to the front, while the others lagged behind, nervously insisting everyone else go before them. Korra decides to hang back so she can watch the other benders go first. She briefly considers playing down her abilities so it looks like she makes more progress than she does, but then she remembers that she is there on scholarship. She wouldn’t want the instructor to think she had faked it before, and didn’t deserve to be at Elias.   
First up is a tall, well-coiffed boy who announces himself as Titus, and he steps forward to the water basin. Striking a clownish pose, he begins waving his hands in small circles as though he is trying to divine a crystal ball. His results, though, are impressive, and a great wave roils up out of the basin and knocks two of the dummies off their stands. Master Yumi makes a note on her clipboard, and calls the next student forward.   
The next few are similarly ostentatious displays of decent water bending, but Korra knows they’re nowhere near her equals. When the skill level starts to bottom out, Korra decides that’s enough waiting, and asserts her way to the front of the line. When Master Yumi calls for the next student, Korra strolls up to the basin. She pulls the same tricks she showed to Bolin the evening before, except this time she does them in rapid succession, one after the next.   
When she has dismantled all three dummies, she casually walks away without so much as a backwards glance. Well, that went well, she smirked.   
When she joins the other students who have already been evaluated, she cautiously glances at Yumi. She looks calm as ever, but Korra sees a hint of surprise register on the master’s face. As soon as it’s there, though, it’s gone, and the instructor calls the next student forward.   
xXx  
There are eight other benders in the advanced group with Korra. Yumi will be their instructor, while two other teachers take over the larger intermediate and beginners groups. Yumi asks them to pair off, and Korra sees that once again, she is the odd one out.   
“You will spar with me, Korra,” Yumi rasps. Oh spirits help me. First day of class and I’m partners with the teacher.  
Korra dons the protective facemask, and strikes a defensive pose. Before she can decide whether to strike first or wait to test Yumi’s strength, the master decides for her, sending an impressive wave of water at Korra. Her instincts kick in, though, and she easily redirects the water into her own bending, and sends it back at her teacher in a long ribbon. For her frail appearance, Yumi demonstrates incredible strength as a bender, and Korra takes a moment to adjust her senses to better evaluate her opponent. Soon, though, they are sparring back and forth, the water flowing between them like the ball at a tennis match.   
Korra’s blood is rising, she is in full-on competition mode. There: she sees an opening and sends a fierce whip of water straight at her teacher. Yumi deflects it, but only just; and she quickly regains control of the water and directs it back to the bin. Embarrassed, Korra tries to apologize to the bending master, but Yumi just gives a knowing smile, and raises her hand. “Stop, Korra. It’s fine. We’ll talk tomorrow.”   
The clock tower rings; class is done for the day.  
xXx  
On her way back to her dorm, Korra sees Bolin chatting to some of his friends. He sees her and waves her over. She is reluctant to join the group, not knowing anyone besides Bolin, but she decided it was for the best. Bolin puts his arm on her shoulder and grinning, introduces her to the group. “Guys, I want you to meet Korra. She’s an amazing Waterbender, I’m going to see if my brother will let her on our team!”   
A small blonde girl clasps her hands together and says, “Oh, Bolin, you and your brother can definitely win the school tournament!” Korra rolls her eyes. The blonde girl is practically swooning. Bolin carries on, as though this happens to him all the time. (Korra realizes it probably does.)   
“You bet I do, Nena . We’re at the top of our game, and Korra here is gonna seal the deal for us, just you wait,” Bolin brags.  
An amused smile crosses Korra’s face, but suddenly Bolin’s attention is diverted elsewhere. “Hey, Bro!” he calls. “Hey! Come meet our new Waterbender!” Bolin grabs Korra’s wrist and pulls her over to a tall, dark-haired boy with a red scarf.  
“Korra, this is my brother, Ma—“  
“Yeah. We’ve met.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Y-you have?” Bolin asks, puzzled.  
Mako narrows his eyes. “Yeah, I ran into her on a walk. She was practicing … some bending,” he finishes carefully. Korra tries to read his face, gauging if he’ll be on her side.   
Bolin senses something is going on and tries to break the tension with a nervous laugh. “Well that’s cool. So you’ve seen her bend, too? Isn’t she amazing?” Bolin gushes as he slaps an arm around Korra’s shoulder.  
I can’t believe I didn’t even make it two days without messing this up, Korra berates herself. Alright, time to face the facts.  
Korra looks around in a way she hopes is casually, pushes into the empty classroom behind them and presses the door closed. She leans in close to the brothers and breathes, “Can you keep a secret?”  
Mako gives the avatar a sideways glance, and Bolin’s eyes grow wide with confusion, but he barely misses a beat when he says seriously, “yes, of course.”  
Mako just nods in response. Korra sighs quickly and decides to just get it over with. “I’m… Well I’m the Avatar.”  
An hysterical giggle escapes Bolin, who claps a hand over his mouth, eyes darting between Korra and his brother. Mako’s brow furrows, and his mouth tightens. Korra bites her lip nervously, praying to the spirits that she hasn’t scared them both away. Bolin especially. Mako, she barely knows, but she really likes Bolin, and thought they had gotten along famously in the short time they’d known each other.   
Afraid of the growing silence, Korra begins to explain herself. “I am a water bender, but I’m also a fire bender and an earth bender, and I’m working on air—“  
“Prove it.” Mako seemed to have recovered enough from the shock and was starting to wonder if she was having a laugh at their expense.  
Korra’s attention snaps to Mako’s amber eyes, and as she creates a small flame in her palm, she says, “well you’ve already seen me do this,” and turning to Bolin, she adds, “and you’ve already seen me do this.” She draws out some of the water from the pouch on her hip and holds a small, smooth bubble in her hand. Her eyes scan the room for something to earth bend, and she spies a forgotten practice disc on the back table. She turns to it and bends it swiftly off the table and into the rubbish bin across the room.   
Bolin’s eyes are wide, but it’s not shock or fear that registers. It’s just short of downright admiration. “Wha—I—“ He searches for words that won’t seem to come. He settles on a stage whisper to his older brother, “She’s the avatar! It’s her!” A huge smile spreads across his face and he speaks up this time, adding, “this… is… amazing !” he stretches out his arms and takes a step towards the Avatar, and without thinking, Korra steps into them and wraps her arms around his neck.   
“Thanks, Bolin. I knew—well, I’d hoped you’d understand.” She gives him a squeeze, which he returns, and then steps back to look at Mako, trying to read his reaction. His features are scrambling to arrange themselves back into his normal aloof expression, but Korra thinks she reads more than a hint of excitement in his eyes. Recovering, he says simply, “So why are you here at Elias? Shouldn’t you have like, special masters or something to teach you one-on-one?”  
“I just wanted a chance to be normal,” Korra says in a small voice. “To make friends, be a teenager … Once I take up my ‘official duties,’ there’s no going back. This is all I get before I’m the Avatar first, and Korra second.”  
Compassion registers on both brothers’ faces and the younger breaks a gentle smile. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Bolin looks straight into her eyes and says, “Your secret’s safe with us.”  
xXx  
“Oh! We are going to kick so much butt at the school tournament! We’ve got the Avatar on our team!” Bolin exclaims.   
“Shhh!” orders Mako. “You’re forgetting that no one can know that we have the Avatar on our team. Besides, she can still only bend water, anyway.”   
“I know, but she’s good, I mean, really good. You didn’t see the stuff she did with water the first day she showed me her bending. I mean, I’m sure she’s a great firebender too, but—“  
“Bo,” Mako interrupts. “I get it. She’s a great bender; I’ve seen her in our practices the last two weeks. Just don’t put too much pressure on her; remember what she said about just wanting to be normal? We owe it to your little crush to treat her just like anyone else.”  
Bolin blushes furiously. “She’s not my—why would—Ugh, Mako, I’m no good at this!” He combs a hand through his hair. “How do I get her to like me as more than a friend?”  
“Well I don’t have much advice for you on that one. Asami asked me out. I was completely tongue tied. Just be yourself, Bo, and if she’s interested, you’ll know. Besides, maybe you shouldn’t pursue this just yet, with the tournament and everything.” Mako says gently.  
“You don’t understand,” Bolin sighs impatiently, “if I wait too long then it could be too late, Mako!”  
“Too late for what?” Korra’s voice echoes from the doorway.   
Bolin’s face turns scarlet, and Mako looks as though he’s trying to stifle a laugh. He licks his lips and smirks, “I’ve got class. See you for dinner, Bo.” He grabs his books and leaves his little brother with the Avatar.  
Bolin scratches the back of his neck, and lets out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a whimper. “So,” he starts.  
“So what were you and Mako talking about? Not that it’s really any of my business,” she adds, “but you seem awfully embarrassed. Are you having girl problems?” Korra teases, poking him gently in the shoulder. Suddenly, Korra’s nervous. She’s afraid his answer won’t be what she wants to hear. The realization that she’s hoping he means her creeps over the Avatar, and the smile leaves her eyes.  
“Heh, yeah, I guess you could say that. Anyway, we should get to lunch if we want to get any of those spicy dumplings,” Bolin says quickly. He grabs his bag without making eye contact with Korra, and hurries out of the room. Korra tries to dismiss her worries about Bolin’s mystery-girl, and follows him to the dining hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Korra takes off her protective helmet and shakes out her now-sweaty hair. They’ve been practicing for at least an hour, and it’s been quite the athletic adventure. Most of their practice has been Mako trying to explain better combat techniques, and Bolin being a bit of a show-off.   
“Great practice, guys,” she says with a smile, still running on the endorphin-high.  
Bolin returns her smile with a grin of his own and responds, “You were fantastic; that whip move you’ve got is gonna do some serious damage.”  
“You need to work on condensing your movements more. In a real fight, there won’t be so much time,” Mako instructs.  
“Like that Titus buffoon in my waterbending class,” Korra remarks. “He’s got some power, but he looks like he’s escaped from a circus for all the acrobatics he pulls.”  
“Exactly,” Mako confirms. “And Bo, you need to work on your accuracy. Flinging discs as hard as you can doesn’t count for much if you don’t hit anything.”  
Korra mocks, “Maybe they’ll be really intimidated by your strength!” and she flexes her own rather strong biceps, and playfully shoves Bolin. He nudges her back, and she pokes him in the ribs.   
Bolin doesn’t seem to notice that his brother has already packed up the nets and left the gym as he strikes a mock-defensive pose and taunts, “oh, so that’s how it is?”  
“Yeah, show me what you’ve got, Earthboy,” she jeers playfully. She makes to poke him again, but Bolin anticipates, and dropping his shoulder, picks Korra up and slings her over his shoulder. She smacks him on the back, and calls out, “hey, put me down!” but she’s laughing too hard and Bolin has no intention of doing that at all.  
Instead he tosses her on the nearby practice mats, falling on top of her, only slightly by accident, and she slaps at him playfully.   
His features fade to serious though, and Korra sees through her breathless giggles that he is staring intently at her face. Her eyes widen in a rush of anxiety. Is he about to do what I think he is? She’s never been kissed before, and while she likes Bolin, she’s not sure what that means. And she certainly doesn’t know how to kiss. Torn between curiosity and embarrassment, Korra decides her best option is to hold still and see what Bolin actually does.   
Bolin’s not sure where this is going either, but he’s certain he wants to kiss her. His gaze darts between the Korra’s slightly parted lips and her ocean blue eyes, trying to gauge her reaction. He bends his neck towards her slowly, and suddenly Korra’s body decides her plan to sit still is ridiculous. Closing her eyes tight, her hands reach up and drag Bolin’s face to hers.  
Korra’s unexpected force closed the gap between their mouths almost instantly. Korra’s stomach flips, sending a delightful shiver down her spine. Bolin smiles through the kiss, pleased that he’s having this effect on her. Confident now, he drags his fingertips along her side as he moves his lips against hers. Korra works a hand into Bolin’s thick curls, and wraps the other around his back. Her mind is screaming, but she tries to ignore it as best as she can. She wants one more moment just to feel, this pleasant tingling sensation in her lips and on her skin where Bolin’s warmth sinks into her.  
Finally, she can’t help it. She’s in over her head, and she figures Bolin might be too. Better stop this before things get really awkward. She unwraps her arms from his torso and gently pushes back on his shoulders.   
“I—Well, that was unexpected,” Korra manages.  
Bolin swallows visibly. “Good unexpected?” he asks quietly, sitting back on his heels on the mat.   
“Oh, definitely,” Korra breathes. A huge smile creeps across Bolin’s features, and he tries to not grin like an idiot.  
They sit in silence for a moment, unsure what to do or say next. Bolin looks up from under his long, dark eyelashes, searching Korra’s face for a sign of what to do. She draws in a breath as if to speak, but promptly closes it again and lets out a sigh.  
“So, do you maybe want to go out with me?” Bolin ventures. There’s no use denying it now, and he can tell Korra’s not so sure what just happened. He better take control, do something.   
She just stares at him for a moment, biting her lip. “That sounds … great,” she says, and before she can second-guess herself, she leans forward and pecks him on the cheek. She checks his face for his reaction, and she sees a hint of color rising. Then she jumps up, grabs her bag, and mutters something about needing a shower before practically running out of the gym.


	5. Chapter 5

“I just kissed the Avatar,” Bolin announces when his brother opens the door.  
Mako smirks. “That so?”  
“Mmm hmm. It. Was. Great!” he says dreamily as he flops back onto Mako’s bed.  
“Come on, I just made my bed, you’re mussing it all up!” he complains, but Bolin’s not listening. Mako rolls his eyes and presses, “So, what happened?”   
Bolin stretches back with his hands behind his head, propping his neck. “We were just kinda, y’know, play fighting, and I picked her up and we kind of fell on a practice mat and … well, you get the idea.”  
“Heh, well I’m happy for you, Bo. Just don’t let her distract you from your school work too much or I’ll have to smack you,” Mako chides. Bolin rolls his eyes. “Speaking of which, I’ve got a paper to write. Guess I’d better head back to my room, then.”  
“Yeah, see ya, little bro,” Mako waves, turning back to his textbook.  
Bolin all but struts towards his room, and casually glances at posters for school clubs. “Join student government!” one poster requests. “Auto Mechanics Workshop hosted by Hiroshi Sato himself! This Tuesday only!” a second declares. But it’s the third one he sees, the one to the left of the gym doors, that catches his attention. “ELIAS SCHOOL FOR YOUNG BENDERS ‘PRO’-BENDING TOURNAMENT OFFICIAL BRACKET.” It looks like 8 teams have registered. Bolin scans the list and finds the Fire Ferrets listed as Team 3. Their first match will be against team 4, modestly called “Titus the Great and Co.” Bolin recognizes the name from when Korra mentioned how slow and clumsy the other Waterbender’s moves were. They’ve got good chances of winning that match, he thinks.   
Instead of heading straight back to his room, Bolin decides to tell Korra the good news, so he heads to the girls’ dormitory. He taps lightly on Korra’s door, but it’s Tilly who opens it. She opens it just wide enough to slip into the hallway, and then latches it shut behind her.  
“Hi, Bolin,” she says sweetly. “Looking for Korra?”  
“Yeah,” he replies. “Is she not here?”  
“She’s just stepping out of the shower. Maybe come back a few?”  
“Nah, I’ve got nothing to do. Is it okay if I just wait here in the hall?”  
“Oh, sure,” Tilly trills. “So how did you do on your history test? I’m no good at memorizing dates; I think I must have done pretty horribly.”  
“Eh, I think I might have done alright. I’m sure you didn’t do too badly,” Bolin encourages. A quiet crash sounds from behind the door. Tilly’s eyes widen, and she holds up her index finger to Bolin. “One moment,” she says, drawing out the first word. She slips back into the room, where Korra has fallen over trying to pull one of her boots on.   
Bolin hears a muffled “I’m okay!” and an instant later, Korra pops out into the hall.   
“Hey, Bolin,” she tries to say smoothly. “Long time no see.”  
“Everything alright in there?” He jokes, she nods, so he continues, “I just wanted to let you know they posted the first round match-ups for the tournament. Guess who we’re up against round one?”  
“Who?” Korra asks excitedly.  
“Your favorite,” Bolin teases, “the great and mighty Titus!”  
A competitive thrill runs through Korra’s veins. “Excellent. We should be able to waltz right into round two, no problem.”  
“I expect we will, seeing as how you’re—“he leans in close and whispers—“the Avatar.”  
Korra rolls her eyes. “You know that doesn’t really mean anything yet, Bolin. I’m not fully trained. And I’ll only have my water bending anyway,” she says guardedly.  
“No, I know, I just meant… I just meant that you’re a really great bender, you’re super talented and, well, amazing,” he finishes.  
“You really think that?”  
“Of course! Even before I knew—that—I thought you were super talented and sweet and pretty.”  
“So you liked me before I told you my secret?”  
“Yeah!” Bolin responds a little too quickly. He clears his throat and tries to recover. “Uh, I mean, yes.”  
Korra darts forward and gives Bolin a quick, dry kiss on the cheek. Bolin gives a warm smile, and checking for consent, he leans forward to kiss her properly. He takes her face in his hands, her skin still warm and fresh from her shower, and her hair smells gently of soap. She presses back for a moment before breaking away.  
“I’m starving,” she says, “and I’m sick of this school food. You want to get something to eat in town?”  
“Absolutely,” Bolin responds, figuring he has to eat anyway, so his essay can wait. “There’s a great little restaurant I used to eat at all the time that serves some great Water Tribe style food.”  
“Sounds great,” Korra says. “Lead the way.”  
They walk into town together, chatting about school, bending, and Korra’s life back at the South Pole.  
“Does everyone there know who you are?” Bolin asks quietly.  
“Not exactly,” Korra answers. “I mean, we’ve known for a while who I was. I was only three when I was bending water, earth, and fire. Still haven’t managed any kind of airbending though. Anyway, Katara contacted the White Lotus, and they’ve kept a pretty tight lock on me since then. I’m on a kind of short leash here at Elias.”  
“Why’s that? You’re getting an education, learning how to be the Avatar…”  
“Well, they want my identity kept safe until I’m older, fully trained and all that, so that when they do finally reveal the new Avatar, I’m prepared to take up my duties.”  
“I guess that makes sense,” Bolin agrees. “But still, that’s a lot of pressure to be under. Is… is there anything I can do to help you?”  
Korra offers a small but genuine smile. “You already are, by being my friend. And, y’know, buying me dinner.”  
They arrive at the restaurant, and a small, elderly man in a simple green tunic shows them to a small corner table.   
Bolin waves away the menus though, and says, “Allow me. We’ll have two of the dinner special, please,” and turning to Korra adds, “you’re gonna love it.”  
A few minutes and small talk pass, and two steaming hot bowls of brothy noodles are brought out to their table. The noodles aren’t much able to slow down their conversation, and they talk about anything that comes to mind.  
“That was surprisingly authentic,” Korra says, sitting back from her now-empty bowl.   
“I’m glad you liked it,” Bolin says, slurping up his last noodle.  
xXx  
After dinner and much laughing and giggling, Korra and Bolin realize how late it’s getting.   
“Dang, we should really be getting back to campus,” Korra sighs.   
“Oh wow, it’s that late already?” Bolin’s smile wavers a little.  
“Not that I want to leave,” she adds.  
“I’d hate to get you in trouble for curfew,” he jokes. “Wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me.”  
“Not even a little.” She gives him a gentle shove.   
He nudges her shoulder, and slides his hand into hers.   
They continue chatting as they walk back up the main street of town up to the school, their voices dropping as the sun does. They chat about their childhoods, their classes, and anything that comes to mind. When they arrive at Korra’s door, they pause and exchange shy glances.   
“Thanks for—“ Korra starts.  
“I had a –“ Bolin says at the same time. “Oh, go ahead.”  
“Thanks for dinner, I’m really glad we got to do this,” she says in a rush.  
“I had a great time, too.”  
“Well, I should go in now, I guess,” Korra says hesitantly, indicating the door behind her.   
“Yeah, I…” Bolin clasps both of Korra’s hands in his, and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight,” he says, and starts to pull away.  
Korra yanks him back by their still clasped hands, and plants a firm kiss on his mouth. “G’night, Bolin.”


	6. Chapter 6

Korra wakes early again, and heads out for the woods. It’s a windy day, so Korra settles for some meditation out in the pine trees. Maybe getting in touch with her spiritual side would help her get this airbending thing started.  
Mako found her again as he had the previous day.   
“Now a bad time?”  
“Heh, a little. Trying to meditate.”  
“How’s that working out for you?”  
She sighs exasperatedly. “How do you think?” Korra rolls her eyes. “I’m just … what if I’m just not cut out for this? What if I never learn to airbend? What kind of Avatar would that make me?”  
Mako puts a hand on her shoulder. “Well, even if you never learn Airbending—which you will, by the way—but you’re already a great waterbender, a solid firebender, and a none-too-shabby earthbender. You’ll figure it out.”  
Korra smiles. “Thanks, Mako. I’m just so frustrated.”  
“Hey, give yourself some time. It’ll come together. Anyway, I’ll uh… leave you to it.”  
“Thanks. I’ll see you at practice after class?”  
“Yeah, sounds good.”  
Korra settles back down into her meditative pose and closes her eyes.   
Deep breaths, remember what Tenzin said. But in the distance, the clock tower rang, and Korra knows it’s not going to happen today. In a huff, she gathers her pack and stomps back to the school, and settles in for another day of class.  
Four kingdoms history droned on and on, and her Political history of the Avatar class was more of the same. But when Korra makes to dash out of the classroom, Master Bei Fong stops her.   
“Korra. A word?”  
Halfway through the door-frame, Korra backs up and turns to face her teacher. “Yes, Master Bei Fong?”  
Stacking up her papers, the Master bender leans over her desk.   
“Korra, Tenzin has briefed me on your additional bending exercises. You will have extra training under my supervision to work on your earthbending (and I’d really like to see if we can get you metal bending), and Tenzin gave me some exercises and guided meditation techniques for you to develop your airbending.”  
Korra is temporarily flabbergasted. “I thought… I mean, how do you know…”  
“How do I know you’re the Avatar? I already told you; I spoke with Tenzin. I’m aware that we are currently keeping your identity under wraps, since you are in no way ready to assume your duties. So beginning today, report to me directly after your last class for your extra training.”  
“But Master Bei Fong, I’ve got team practice after my class!”  
“You’ll have to reschedule. The school tournament is hardly as important as your avatar training. You have a lot of work to do. That will be all.”  
“Come on, that’s completely—“  
“That will be all, Korra. I will see you after class in my office. Understood?”  
“Understood,” groans Korra.   
xXx  
When she gets to the mess hall, Bolin and Mako are already waiting for her, as are the energetic blonde girl from before, Nena and a boy from Mako’s form whom Korra thinks is named Pei.  
“Hey guys,” Korra says as she swings her leg over the bench. Bolin beams at her, and gives her hand a light squeeze when she sits down next to him. “Bad news. We’re gonna have to reschedule tonight’s practice.”  
Bolin pouts. “Aww, man! What happened?”  
Korra eyes their company, and goes for a partial truth. “Bei Fong kinda gave me … detention. I have to serve it right after class. So I was thinking just, later tonight maybe?”  
Mako raises an eyebrow. “How exactly did you manage to already get a detention?”  
Korra purses her lips and tries to will Mako and Bolin to understand it’s for Avatar training. “You know me,” she says with a forced laugh.   
Pei tuts quietly, and Nena gives Korra the once-over. “Second day and already in trouble? You Water Tribe are almost as temperamental as firebenders. People like Bo and me are much more… grounded,” she adds with a smile.   
The grin falls though when Bolin ignores her ridiculous joke, and Korra and Bolin exchange a meaningful look. “I’ll tell you later,” she whispers. Clearing her throat, she turns back to the rest of the group. “So, classes going alright for everyone?”  
Nena continues to eye Korra cautiously, but the conversation flows from there with more mundane high school happenings, and Korra sighs with relief that her secret lives another day. She does wonder, though, what exactly Tenzin thought when he sent her to Elias.   
If she was meant to hide being the Avatar, going to school to improve her water bending seemed pretty pointless. But she couldn’t pass for an Earth or Fire bender, and airbending, if she could even do it, would be a dead giveaway.   
Still, Korra appreciates the chance to have a semi-normal life as a teenager; she doubts regular Avatar training included dating charming Earthbenders and competing in aggressive sporting events. Maybe Master Bei Fong is right to schedule some extra training sessions where she can work on her weaker elements.   
Korra’s heard enough from Tenzin about Avatar Aang and his companions, but she doesn’t know much about the Republic that he worked so hard to establish. Korra thinks this is the most likely reason for her enrollment at Elias: Placated by the guise of normalcy, she’s stuck learning all the history and politics of her predecessor’s achievements.   
Korra realizes while she’s zoned out, Mako and Pei have left for class, and Nena’s whining about how unfair her bending placement test went the day before. Bolin, kind as he is, is trying to reassure her that being placed in the middle level is just fine. Korra smirks to herself as the girl laments not being in the advanced group with Bolin.   
“It would have been so much fun to get to spar together, though!”  
“We can always spar outside of class if you want. If I’m not busy with probending practice. But I’m sure I could use the extra practice,” he offers graciously.  
“Not you, Bo. You’re so talented!”  
Korra’s insides start to fizzle with jealousy, so she decides to step in to change the subject, something. “Everyone needs practice, Nena. I bet even the Avatar has to practice,” she says with a knowing smile, and props her arm on Bolin’s shoulder. He freezes under her touch, startled by her mention of the Avatar.   
“Wouldn’t it be crazy if the Avatar went to Elias? Like nobody knew who they were, and they were discovered here!”  
Korra and Bolin both laugh nervously, and thankfully the clock tower chimes.   
“Augh, gotta go to class. Finally, bending time! Bo, I’ll see you and Mako tonight for practice? After my meeting with Bei Fong.”  
“Sure thing. Have fun in class,” he says, and awkwardly leans forward to give Korra a peck on the cheek.   
Nena gasps, and Bolin walks away hurriedly as Korra surreptitiously gloats.


	7. Chapter 7

“Here’s to hoping bending classes get a little less boring,” Korra says with a resigned half-smile. Even in the advanced class, Korra is leaps and bounds ahead of her classmates.   
“Come on, Korra. It’s gonna be boring for you,” Bolin teases, dropping his arm around her shoulders.  
She sighs deeply. “I know, it’s just that, well I mean how am I supposed to be normal if I’m so much better than my classmates? I should have pretended to be an earthbender. At least I might learn something.”  
“Chin up, you’ve still got your, er, detention with Bei Fong; maybe she’ll offer you a challenge.”  
“Ugh, she probably hates me because I wouldn’t be alive if her mom’s best friend hadn’t died. I’m nothing special to her.” Korra shifts into Bolin’s arm a bit more, but she crosses her arms in frustration.  
He gives her shoulder a squeeze and presses a quick kiss to her cheek as the clock tower chimes. “You better get going. Wouldn’t want to be late and give her a real reason not to like you.”  
“Ugh,” Korra grumbles, but she pulls Bolin in for a proper kiss before spinning around and stomping off to Master Bei Fong’s office.   
When she gets to the Metalbending master’s office, the door is ajar, so Korra knocks before poking her head around the corner.  
Lin Bei Fong is standing at her desk, both hands firmly planted on the black metal surface while she studies some charts. Hearing Korra’s knock, though, she rolls up the scrolls and pushes the desk aside.   
Arching an eyebrow at the clock, she turns her attention to the young Avatar. “No time to waste; we’ll start with Earth, since that’s my specialty and Tenzin says you need it. Speaking of Tenzin, he’ll be here later to give you a few airbending sequences to practice.”  
Any positivity Korra was holding onto dissipated with the mention of airbending. What good was dancing around in circles going to do if she couldn’t bend anything?  
She drags her feet to the middle of the room where Lin directs her to stand beside a metal table.  
“Now, I know you think you know how to Earthbend, but I’ll be the judge of that.” She produces a rectangular block of earth and drops it with a thud onto the table. “Make me a probending disc.”  
“What?”  
“Earthbending requires just as must finesse and precision as any other element. It isn’t just chucking rocks across the room. Make me a probending disc.”  
Korra sighs and rolls her shoulders, cracking her neck a bit, and sizing up the block, she slices off a chunk which she thinks looks to be the right size for a disc.   
“Good start, now how about a hole in the middle?” Lin’s voice drips with condescension.   
Uncertain, Korra makes to punch a hole through the disc. It looks awful, and she cringes when Lin snorts in derision.   
She decides making the impression to give the edges a ridge would likely just shatter the disc, and so she slices of another chunk for a second disc.  
“No, no, you forgot the indentation! Finish the first disc.” The smirk fades from her face and she adopts a more professorial tone as she continues. “Not all power is brute strength, Korra. Focus on what you want to bend and do it slowly. Think of it like a twig: if you put all your strength into one quick motion, it snaps. But apply even pressure slowly, and you can bend it just right.”  
Mouth quirking up into a slight smile, Korra closes her eyes and imagines the shape of the earth disc. Then she pushes slowly—too slowly at first—and it starts to compress into the right pattern. Excited to see it work, though, Korra pushes too hard and the disc shatters.  
Lin rolls her eyes. “You started off alright, but you lack the concentration. Again. And in this disc can I have a real center and not a volcanic crater?”  
Nearly an hour and eleven more or less misshapen discs later, Tenzin enters the office. Korra never thought she’d be happy for airbending instruction, but at least Tenzin’s lessons typically included a lot of meditation and not so much physical exertion.   
“Glad to see you made it, Tenzin. Korra’s been making some earth discs for us. Well, she’s been trying to at least. Lacks concentration, this one. Too early for metalbending,” she adds in a lower voice, but not so low that Korra can’t hear.  
“Well, Korra’s a strong student, and I’ve already seen much improvement in my short time working with her. I’m sure she won’t disappoint,” Tenzin replies, shooting a meaningful glance at Korra.   
“Are you finished with your earthbending training for today, Lin? I’m happy to wait a few minutes if you need to finish up.”  
“No, no; we’re done here. She’s all yours.”  
xXx  
Inhale. Exhale. Be the leaf. Korra mentally rolls her eyes. This is ridiculous. Sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and her feet going numb, she berates herself for being (probably) the worst Avatar ever. Stupid air, stupid weak element, stupid, stupid, stupid.   
“Korra,” Tenzin’s voice breaks through the cloud of self-deprecation, “I can see you’re not concentrating. Relax. Think about something other than bending. Whatever makes you feel at ease.”  
Home, Korra thinks. Home with Naga and the snow. And Bolin. He loves Water Tribe food; I doubt he’d appreciate the Pole though. Not enough rocks. A smile blooms across her face.   
As her thoughts of Bolin turn not-so pure as the driven snow, Tenzin breaks through her reverie once more. “Pull back, Korra. Just find that balance of relaxation. We want a nice, neutral balance: not frustrated, but also not excited. You need to find your center.”  
Almost twenty minutes later, Korra feels sleepy but no more enlightened than before. Tenzin sighs, but tells her, “Alright. We’re done for today. I’ll be back next week; I hope you practice this meditation so we can try to push forward after this.” His tone is stern but his face is soft.  
“Alright, I’ll work on it. Say hello to Pema and the kids for me,” Korra says.   
“I will. Study hard. Don’t ignore the non-bending classes; they’re especially important for you.”  
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Good grades are my middle name!” Korra jokes ruefully. Tenzin just grunts in response.   
“See you next week, Tenzin.”  
“Goodbye, Korra. Lin—a word?”  
Korra grabs her satchel as Tenzin asks Lin’s opinion on some political matter or some such; she honestly couldn’t care because now it’s dinner time and then, their last practice before the first round of the tournament begins.   
After filling a tray up with spring rolls and fruit, Korra finds Mako and Bolin at their usual table with the usual company: Tilly is rambling to Mako and another boy Korra doesn’t recognize about some news story she heard on the radio, and Nena is listening raptly to Bolin’s description of an advanced bending move he pulled off in a sparring match today.  
“Hey guys,” Korra says, pushing between Nena and Bolin on the bench to sit right between them.   
“Hey, how was detention?” Bolin says so intentionally Korra can practically hear the air quotes.   
“Ugh. Exhausting. She had me do all these stupid exercises and meditation and my concentration is shot.”   
“You’re gonna be alright for practice after dinner though, right?” Mako interrupts. “The tournament starts tomorrow.”  
“Yeah, just need to get some food in me and I’ll be right as rain.”  
“We came up with a team name, by the way,” Bolin says excitedly around the spring roll in his mouth. He swallows the bite before beaming, “The Fire Ferrets!”  
“Not very, er, ferocious,” Korra tries.  
“No, it’s perfect. They’re small and agile and no one expects anything but then they bite you with their adorably razor sharp teeth and then you’re really sorry!” Bolin can barely contain himself.  
Mako arches an eyebrow at his brother’s melodramatic explanation, and explains, “Bo’s always wanted a pet Fire Ferret but it hasn’t been an option. This is as close as he can get for now.”  
“Hey, works for me,” Korra says as she pops a few berries into her mouth.   
They finish their dinners and head to the practice gym.  
One more day, and it’s competition time.


	8. Chapter 8

“Alright team, ‘Fire Ferrets’ on three!” Korra commands.  
“One, two, three, fire ferrets!” They say in unison.   
“Right,” continues Mako. “So let’s go with our speed plays against these guys. Don’t go for your own element, but be ready to defend against it. And Korra—only water bend. Any questions?”  
“Let’s do this!” exclaims Bolin.  
“Titus and Company are going down!” Korra says with a triumphant foot stomp.  
The ring is cleared from the game before them where the Tiger Badgers completely pummeled the Elias Elites. Korra is beginning to sense a pattern with these team names, and thinks that Fire Ferrets might be the right choice after all.   
When the referee instructs them to take their positions, Korra, Bolin, and Mako step into the ring and join their opponents in the middle for introductions and a review of the rules. Korra recognizes Titus as her Water opponent, and Mako stands toe-to-toe with Merrin, a first year Firebender. Bolin is dwarfed in height by Rino, the gangly second year Earthbender. Korra narrows her eyes as she sizes up their competition.  
They each give a verbal agreement to play by the rules—no icing, no lightning, and so on—and then the ref steps back. All six students strike defensive positions, and the whistle is blown.  
Korra and Mako waste no time in firing off attacks, while Bolin stands ready to cover them while they deliver their blows. Korra slams a wave of cold water at Rino while Mako snuffs out Titus’ water whip with a sizzle. Rino is thrown back to zone two, but Titus manages to regain his footing and stays up front.   
While Titus is working up another whip, though, Bolin slings three discs at him: one left, then two right. Titus’s reaction time is awful and the third hits him square in the chest, knocking him on his back into zone two. Mako kicks some flames at him and Titus practically rolls himself over the edge and into the drink.  
Merrin shoots back at Mako as the older boy drove Titus off the field, but Korra doused her opponent with a powerful whip of her own. Merrin falls to his knees, and Bolin helps drive him back to zone two.   
Rino seems to find his courage once more as he lobs a few discs at Bolin. Korra deflects the discs while Mako attacks with a fierce punch, and Rino finds himself in zone three.   
Merrin throws an attack at Korra, who deflects it easily as Bolin drives back at the Firebender, and Mako finishes him off with a swift spin-move. Rino barely puts up a fight as Korra finishes him off, and he all but jumps into the pool below.  
The ref announces their victory, and the Fire Ferrets join in an awkward kind of group hug, as they advance to the next round.  
xXx  
Settling into the stands, the trio had a while until their next match while the other two first round matches played out.   
First up is the Mighty Armadillo Rabbits versus the Earthquakes. Bolin immediately wants the Armadillo Rabbits to win because of their name, but Mako crosses his arms and tells them both above the din, “The Earthquakes are fourth years who always win. They’ve got terrible sportsmanship and fight as dirty as they can get away with. Just watch,” he says bitterly.  
Korra and Bolin cheer rabidly for the Armadillo Rabbits, but it’s soon clear that Mako’s warning is all too true. The Firebender girl is just vicious in her onslaught against her opponents; while not against the rules, it certainly isn’t very sportsmanlike. The Earthbender girl and Waterbender boy make Korra nervous as they shuffle next to each other and deliver tandem attacks that are a hair’s breadth from being illegal.   
The students boo, some try to chant Armadillo Rabbits, but find it has too many syllables and so return to booing.   
The Earthquakes systematically sweep their opponents off the field, throwing them in the drink one after the other.  
“They don’t even have a good name,” Bolin grumbles.  
“The next match should be much more encouraging. Two third year teams against each other: Temper Tantrums versus, uh, Flamey-Water-Landslides,” Mako suppresses a guffaw at the team name. “Oh, this makes sense,” he adds as the teams take the field, “their team captain is Kai-Li.”  
“As if that explains everything,” Korra snorts.  
“Nevermind. If you knew her it would make perfect sense,” Mako grumbles.  
The referee blows the whistle, and the match begins. It’s a much more even fight than the other three first-round matches, which helps everyone forget the ugliness of the Earthquakes match.   
Kai-Li drives her Firebending counterpart back to zone two as her Waterbending teammate gets thrown back as well. Korra grumbles about the low-quality of the waterbenders at Elias, but it goes unheard amidst the noise of the crowd.   
The “Landslide” portion of the Flamey-Water-Landslides delivers an impressive attack against the Earthbender of the Temper Tantrums, but soon the teams even out again.  
Finally, though, Kai-Li is all alone against two of the Temper Tantrums, and she can’t get an attack in while defending from the Earth discs that her opponent has begun relentlessly bending at her. Korra, Bolin, and Mako watch as she is knocked back to zone three and finally over the edge, despite a brilliant acrobatic move to maintain her balance. She falls into the pool with a graceful dive, but the Temper Tantrums advance.  
The last of the quarterfinal matches now settled, the semi-finals will be held after an hour long break, so all four teams can rest up. The finals won’t be held until tomorrow; Korra can’t decide if she’s glad for the extra rest, or if the excitement of it will keep her from getting a good night’s sleep.  
xXx  
After a brief team meeting to discuss strategy against the Tiger Badgers, a well-dressed raven-haired girl appears at Mako’s side. “Asami! You made it!” he exclaims. They embrace tightly as she says over his shoulder, “Of course I made it! Sorry I missed your first match, but I had to get here from across town after school. Traffic was a nightmare,” she sighs.  
Clearing his throat, Bolin speaks up. “Asami, meet Korra, my, er… well my girlfriend.” Bolin blushes, but continues, “Korra, this is Asami, Mako’s girlfriend. She’s from in-town.”  
Asami lets go of Mako to shake Korra’s hand. “Nice to finally meet you! Mako’s told me all about you,” she says with a smile.   
“He has?” Korra asks skeptically.   
“Well, I’m sure not everything.”  
Korra tries to communicate with Mako telepathically, trying to gauge whether Asami knows she’s the Avatar. Mako offers a neutral face, and Korra hopes this means she doesn’t. Mako and Bolin knowing is already two more people than she was meant to tell.   
Mako gives Asami a quick kiss on the cheek, and then turns to Bolin. “Ready to go bend some ass?”  
Bolin, Korra, and Asami exchange worried looks. “Excuse me?” Asami asks.  
“Oh, uh, that didn’t come out right. I was going for kicking ass, but we’re bending… nevermind.”  
Korra and Bolin erupt in laughter and Asami shakes her head with a blush.  
“Let’s go get ready,” Mako says, still embarrassed.   
xXx  
The Tiger Badgers line up across the center line from the Fire Ferrets.   
The whistle blows; the match begins.  
Wanting to eliminate the Waterbender as soon as possible, Korra immediately throws all her strength at the stocky boy opposite her.   
“Cover me!” she calls to Mako, who quickly comes to her aid with an impressive wall of fire. Bolin is on the offensive, too, firing discs at the Firebending girl.   
Korra’s onslaught is stronger than anything her opponent has ever seen and he quickly tumbles back to zone three and then one final push sends him tumbling over the ledge.  
Bolin has driven the Firebender to zone two, and Mako turns his focus to her while Korra holds off the Earthbender. Mako and Bolin drive the Firebender into the pool, as Korra knocks the Earth boy into zone two. Against all three Fire Ferrets, the Tiger Badger never stood a chance, and he rolls like a barrel down a waterfall over the edge of the playing field.  
Amidst wild screams from their classmates, Korra, Bolin, and Mako high-five each other and cheer along, too. Bolin picks Korra up and spins her around, earning them a few wolf whistles, but they couldn’t care less: the Fire Ferrets are going to the championships.  
xXx  
Shortly after their own match is over, the trio has to calm down while they watch the other semi-final match: the Earthquakes versus the Temper Tantrums.   
Sadly, the Temper Tantrums are no match for the Earthquakes at their best, and they seem to have given up as soon as the whistle blows. They are defeated before the first blows are exchanged, and the match is over as soon as it began.   
Korra tries to soak in as much as she can about how the Earthquakes fight, but in the end, she’s nervous for tomorrow.   
Bolin squeezes her hand as they walk back to the dormitory wings. “Hey, you did great today,” he says. “Don’t worry about those Earthquake guys. You’re way better than them. You’re the best Waterbender at this whole school. If anyone can beat them, it’s you.” They come to a stop at Korra’s door.  
Korra pulls Bolin close and kisses him softly. He tastes like salt and needs a shower, but she’s certain she does too. He pulls her hips closer to him and deepens the kiss as they lean against Korra’s door. Bo’s hands wander up Korra’s back as hers travel lower.  
The kiss starts to heat up, and Korra begins to reach behind Bolin’s back for the doorknob. Finding it, she twists it open, and they stumble unceremoniously into Korra’s bedroom.  
Tilly shrieks.  
They fly apart, blushing so furiously that they almost match their Fire Ferret outfits.   
Swallowing dryly, Korra finds her voice after a moment. “I am… so sorry, Tilly. I didn’t think you were here… Oh spirits.”  
“See you tomorrow, Korra!” Bolin calls over his shoulder and dashes to his own dorm room.  
Great, Korra thinks ruefully, this won’t be uncomfortable at all.  
Korra flops down onto her bed and picks up a textbook, pretending to read so she can hide her face.   
“So how’d the tournament go?” Tilly chirps.  
“Great!” Korra exclaims, relieved that Tilly is refraining from asking the obvious. “We made it to the finals. The match is tomorrow afternoon.”  
“Congrats! And good luck for tomorrow,” she adds.   
Tilly returns to her assignment, and Korra gives up the guise of reading a textbook and rolls onto her side so her back is to Tilly.   
Everything is going so well—classes, bending, Bolin—but she can’t help but feel that it’s all too good to be true. She still hasn’t managed a breath of airbending, and Master Bei Fong will probably metalbend her into a prison cell if she doesn’t improve her Earthbending.   
It’s gonna be a long night, Korra sighs. Thinking for a moment, she decides to try some of her airbending meditation exercises, since those tend to put her to sleep.  
They don’t disappoint, and when she wakes, it’s the day of the championship.


	9. Chapter 9

“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” Bolin calls through Korra’s door. She stirs with a groan, muscles tired from the day before.   
Korra dresses as quickly as she can and opens the door.   
“Morning!” says Bolin, chipper as ever as he gives Korra a quick kiss. “Ready for the big day? We have to eat breakfast now if we don’t want it to give us stomach aches in the arena!”  
With a sleepy smile, Korra nods and follows Bolin down the corridor to the mess hall. Mako is already there, and it looks like Asami has joined them, too.   
Pulling up to the table, Korra sits across from Mako. “So. Strategy?” she asks, taking a bite out of an apple.   
“When they cheat, use it against them. Don’t get offended, don’t yell at the referee. That’s when we let loose. They tend to gloat, and we’ll use our speed to catch them off guard.”  
Bolin nods in agreement. “Sounds good. Speed is definitely our best tool. And, yknow, Korra,” he adds with a wink.  
“Hey,” she yelps, “we’re a team, remember? I need you guys just as much as you need me. Now let’s go kick some Earthquake butt!”  
Done with breakfast, the Fire Ferrets push back from the table and head to the gym-turned-arena to change into their gear and start warm ups.   
“Don’t do too much warming up; we need to be at full strength if we’re going to beat these guys,” Mako advises. “Do what you need to get your muscles going, but take it easy.”  
xXx  
Korra’s stomach is flipping nervously, but she steels herself; now is no time for nerves. They take up fighting stances, and the referee raises the whistle to her lips.  
“Let the championship match begin!”   
The Earthquakes waste no time in attacking with a vengeance, concentrating their fire on Mako first. Korra douses their Firebender and Bolin knocks away the Earthbender’s disc from its path to his brother. The Earthquakes are relentless, and they continue to barrage Mako, almost completely ignoring Bolin and Korra’s attacks. Finally, Mako can’t keep up and he stumbles backwards into Zone 2.  
Quick as the flames that shoot from the benders’ fists, the Earthquakes refocus their assault on Bolin. The Earthbender and Waterbender pummel him with discs and waves of icy water. The Firebender holds Korra off, preventing her from being able to protect Bolin. Mako does his best to attack from behind his teammates, but due to the distance, the attacks just aren’t strong enough to do more than deflect or distract. Still, it seems to help; as Mako’s flames reach for the Earthquakes’ Firebender, Korra slams a wall of water at the boy, and the Avatar muses that she really feels on top of her game today as the boy joins Mako in the second zone.   
Her usually quick maneuvers are swifter than normal, and there is an extra snap as she releases the water on its way to her opponents. She feels calm and determined, and she finds herself mimicking some of the Airbending techniques that Tenzin showed her, though she continues to Waterbend.  
Bolin is knocked back to Zone 2, though, as the Earthquakes reassert their onslaught on the young Earthbender. Now with all three Earthquakes focused on her, Korra stands alone in the front zone.   
But she has never been quicker, and she avoids the brunt of their attacks and lands a few ‘punches’ of her own. With some help from her teammates, she drives the Waterbender towards the back boundary of Zone 1.   
As Korra dances away from an Earth disc, she bends a wave of water into a sort of typhoon and sends it across the ring. She watches it knock him from his feet and he rolls into Zone 2.  
A cheer goes up in the stands, but Korra lets it distract her and she is broadsided by a Fire strike. Adrenaline thrumming through her veins, she sees it coming in slow motion, and is able to think only enough that she cannot Firebend it away and scrambles for water to protect herself.   
She falls backwards to the ground, and rolls sideways to regain her footing. Bolin sends an Earth disc rocketing back at the Firebender, and a mildly smug smirk paints his face. Another cheer passes through the spectators.   
Suddenly, it occurs to Korra that this fight has seemed pretty clean. They had planned for dirty play, but they didn’t have much strategy for a fair fight against these guys. Speed was still their best bet, but Korra realizes that they are all the more disadvantaged since the Earthquakes are keeping it clean: they still have to constantly have their guards up.   
Diving away from a cold burst of water, Korra redirects it and slams it towards the Earthbender, the only Earthquake left in Zone 1 with Korra.   
His teammates are not quick enough and his discs are not enough to stop Korra’s violent attack and he falls back to Zone 2 with his teammates.   
Dashing forward as the buzzer signals permission to enter the opponent’s territory, Bolin’s focus is broken for the slightest moment. One of the Earthquakes’ discs hits him squarely in the shoulder, and he falls to the ground.  
Mako surges forward and positively wails on the Earthbender who knocked his brother down, but the boy holds his own and the Waterbender douses Mako with a whipped tendril of water.   
The atmosphere shifts; Korra can sense it. “You alright?” Korra shouts, shooting a spray of water at their adversary.  
“Fine,” Bolin yells back unconvincingly as he struggles to his feet.  
Korra rebalances and hardens her glare when suddenly, the Earthquakes’ Earthbender flings two discs straight at Bolin, still half on the ground.  
If time had slowed before, it is nearly at a standstill as Korra watches the discs spinning straight for her teammate. Her only thought is to protect Bolin, and a strange calm washes over her.  
She shifts her stance, closes her eyes, and feels a warmth in her chest as she pushes.  
A gush of warm, swirling wind throws the earth discs over the side of the arena and into the water below.  
Everything stops.  
Then, murmurs, gasps, screams erupt from the stands. Korra suddenly comes back into herself and can’t decide if she wants to jump up and down with delight that she just figured out how to Airbend!, or if she wants to run away from everyone because she just blew her cover.  
Bolin looks up at Korra with a mixture of fear and amazement, and Mako looks from the Avatar to the referee nervously. No one seems to know what to do, so the ref blows her whistle and orders a time-out on the match.   
From the top of the stands, Master Bei Fong runs to the arena level, shoving her way through the throngs of confused students.  
“Korra!” the Master yells. The young Avatar buries her face in her hands, but dutifully walks towards her teacher.   
“I—I’m so sorry,” Korra exclaims. “It wasn’t on purpose, please, you have to believe me…”  
“I do believe you, Korra. It’s alright. It’s not how we planned, but we’ll make it work. I’ll get Tenzin here as soon as he can, and we’ll talk it over. Do you know how you did it?” She adds with a smirk.  
“You mean was it a freak accident?” Korra tries to laugh, but it comes out more like a sob. “Nah, it just kind of clicked,” she says a bit sadly. “I saw Bolin in danger and my mind suddenly saw what I had been missing.  
“I felt… I felt something,” she continues. “It was warm, and then just, happened.”  
Lin puts a hand on Korra’s shoulder. “Well done, Avatar,” she whispered just loud enough for Korra to hear. “Well done.”  
The referee decides, however, that enough is enough and an explanation will be had. “Master Bei Fong, what just happened?”  
“It’s under control, Dara,” the Metalbender responds. “The competition will be suspended until—“  
“Lin, please!” Korra interrupts. Bolin’s jaw drops at Korra’s use of the Master’s first name, but the Waterbender presses on. “I just… I just want to finish the competition. Please? It’s not just me here, everyone else has worked so hard for this. I promise, it won’t happen again. Please just let us finish the match.”  
Drawing in a sharp sigh, Lin rubs her eyes and thinks for a moment. “Tenzin will not like this. Alright. Carry on. Finish the match.”  
The Earthquakes are furious; they scream that it’s not a fair fight, and that the Fire Ferrets must be getting outside help or using some other sort of illegal aid. Lin gives Korra a stern glance, to which the young avatar firmly nods her head.   
A bit shaken, the referee tries to reestablish control. “Quiet down, please, quiet!” She says, blowing her whistle repeatedly. The crowd finally settles, though a hushed murmur continues to roll through the rows of students.   
Returning to their previous positions on the field, the Earthquakes and Fire Ferrets take up fighting stances, and the referee blows the whistle to initiate play.   
Enraged by Korra’s accidental stunt, though, the Earthquakes lack the focus to finish the fight, and seem to just let themselves get pushed over the edge.   
The victory feels hollow as the Fire Ferrets are announced as champions.  
xXx  
“I feel like such an idiot,” Korra confesses. “I’m really sorry, guys; you were fighting so well and I really messed this up for you.”  
“No, don’t say that,” Bolin reassures her. “It’s just a school tournament, what’s more important is that you unlocked your Airbending!”  
Mako smiles in agreement. “We were gonna be them anyway,” Mako offers. “It’s kind of a weird situation, but it’s more important in the long run that you’ve got all the elements now.”  
“I barely made it a week before I blew my own cover. I’m never going to have a chance for a normal high school experience now. They’re gonna pull me out of Elias and have me train out on Air Temple Island with Tenzin and his kids. I can’t stay here,” she says quietly. “That was the deal.”  
Confused, Bolin asks, “What deal?”  
“When Tenzin and Lin and my parents agreed to let me come to Elias, they said I could stay as long as it took me to unlock my Airbending. It seemed so hopeless though; I thought I’d get at least a year.”  
“Oh,” Bolin says in a small voice. He doesn’t know what else can be said.  
There’s a knock at Korra’s door. “Come in,” she says dejectedly, and Tenzin strolls into the room.  
Bolin and Mako scramble to their feet. “Sir!” Bolin exclaims.   
“Good afternoon,” Tenzin says. “Might I have a few words with Korra alone?”  
“Of course,” Mako replies.  
“We’ll come by later, Korra,” Bolin promises. She gives him a sad smile as the brothers leave.  
“So,” she sighs, “how much trouble am I in?”  
“None at all, Korra. I’m thrilled that you learned how to Airbend, though of course these were not the most preferred circumstances.”   
“But I have to leave Elias’s, right?”  
“Lin and I have discussed it, and we think that there is still much you can learn here. If you want to finish out the year, you may. You won’t be part of your Waterbending class anymore, though. You’ll meet with Lin and myself daily to develop your Airbending and see if you can learn Metalbending, too.   
But it’s all up to you, Korra. Would you like to stay here through the school year?”  
Korra fidgets. “I… I think I want to stay. I’ve got friends here, and like you said, I think I have a lot to learn about Republic City and what it means to be the Avatar. I want to stay,” she asserts, more confident now.   
She has Bolin and Mako, and even if everyone else thinks she’s a complete weirdo, she can handle that.  
“Very well. We’ll send word to your parents so they know what’s going on, but we’ll keep you here at Elias for the year.”  
“Thanks, Tenzin.”  
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you Monday in Lin’s office for your Airbending training,” he says as he turns to leave. “And Korra? I’m very proud of you.”  
xXx  
Korra is glad she has decided to stay, but when she walks into class the next morning, she almost regrets it. Everyone turns to stare at her. The teacher walks in, a bit flustered, and a moment later, Lin Beifong strides into the room as well.   
“Korra: up here, please,” Lin commands.  
Reluctantly, Korra walks to the front of the room. Lin grabs her by the shoulders and turns her to face her classmates. She leans over to whisper into Korra’s ear. “Remember, you’re the one who wanted to stay. This was against my advice, but Tenzin insisted it was your decision to make. Do not make me regret this,” she menaces.   
“Class, I’m sure you’ve heard about what happened at the tournament this weekend. I want to dispel some rumors right now. There will be a formal statement later, but for now: Yes, you saw Airbending. Yes, it came from Korra.  
Class, meet your new Avatar.”


End file.
